WildManJason Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Hi. I have had a very technology centric life since college. I have always liked using my hands though. Some people call it handy, I call it capable. Blacksmithing appears to be everything I have been craving my entire life. Problem/puzzle solving, creativity and very useful. Very much looking forward to learning all my brain will hold about blacksmithing. I have a dual burner forge, a small piece of rail, and a few hammers and tongs I have refurbished. Good beginner setup I think. Just need a vice that can handle blacksmithing work. And eventually I will get a real anvil when I feel I have advanced enough. All in all, I love hitting hot metal. Glad to have found iforgeiron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal the smith Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Jason, Welcome! Someone with more ability than me will doubtless link you to the “read this first” article. In the meantime it sounds like you have a nice initial setup. Once you have hammer and anvil you can pretty much make other tools you need (punches, drifts, tongs, etc) as you need them. You’ll find it great practice for basic skills. I’ve only found this forum recently but folks are knowledgeable and generous in sharing their experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Welcome, nice to have you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Welcome... wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. READ THIS FIRST I'll bet he has already read it though because the location is filled out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Have you found the various ABANA Affiliates in Ohio? Attending meetings can really accelerate your learning curve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildManJason Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 Thanks for the welcome. I didn't even know about ABANA until you mentioned it. Found an affiliate about 1.5 hours from me. Will check it out, but, being that far, I probably won't make it a weekly visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Most of the affiliates I have visited have monthly meetings. We started the MOB (Mid Ohio Blacksmiths) originally as a carpooling group in Columbus, OH, to go to the SOFA meetings 2 hours away. Unfortunately the MOB broke up after I moved to NM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 What is a "real" anvil? Being in Ohio you should have access to a plethora of improvised anvils. We have a whole thread on them here. Some of the ones shown (crusher swing hammer) are as good as any factory produced London pattern anvil out there. You did say you liked problem solving.... Also the familiar London pattern anvil is a relatively new design around 200 years old. Smithing dates thousands. Japanese sword smiths use a simple cube shaped anvil, and some Vikings used large stones, so don't limit yourself to what some consider a "real" anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 BTW the forklift tine anvil tale I linked under the Improvised Anvils thread happened in Columbus Ohio, fairly close to the center of town! (Unfortunately I have one and Marco has the other tine; so no more at that scrounge site.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildManJason Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 By "real" anvil, I mean something has a flat, hard face and is significantly heavy. My rail peice (about 30 lbs) is curved on one side and I don't intend to spend a lot of effort grinding it flat. It works for what I use it for right now. However, my 2x4 stand does not appear to be heavy or flat enough, because it walks about 1 foot over the course of an hour of striking. I have an old wagon axle skein that I found buried on my property that was heavily rusted that I intend to fashion into a "horn". I am all about repurposing and refurbishing stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Shimanek Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 I use to use an old excavator hammer bit for an anvil; now it is the base for the power hammer i am building . It was free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildManJason Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 Steve Shimanek, that is awesome. I have a bro in law that works for a metal fab company and he is looking for a nice chunk for me. He has even offered to cut it. Granted it won't be hardened, but I might be able to have someone weld a hardened plate to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 You are over thinking this. Go get scrap pieces that are already hard or at least toughened up. That hydraulic breaker bit above is one example. They are hard enough to bust rock and pavement with little wear. Large bucket pins are tough alloys like 4140. Forklift tines get changed out when they get bent or worn down too much. So, ask around rental yards, earth moving, paving companies, and equipment repair shops. I have a neighbor that worked at a rental company and he said he had a pile of old forks, so they are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 You do realize that dong a proper full weld on a tempered plate will either draw the temper from the heat of welding or have HAZ cracking from trying to keep the face of the plate cool while doing a full weld on the base, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildManJason Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 Nope. That's why I am here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Then you should phrase it as a question rather than like it might be a good thing to do; so other new folks don't get misled. You may also want to read up on HAZ cracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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